It's anybody's guess as to what happens in Convergence and Secret Wars after they get underway. In all likelihood, they'll head off in different directions. But then again, with so many similar elements, how different can they be?

Marvel has stated that whatever's left after Secret Wars will be the building blocks of the "new Marvel universe." DC has made no such claims, and it's entirely possible that Convergence will be a one-off event with very few lasting consequences. But when was the last time a major comic book event series changed nothing about its universe or characters?

The basic story structures of both will go something like this.

1. Introductions, showing off the dynamics and conflicts of this new world, and reacquainting viewers with long lost characters. 2. Wars break out as the different realities struggle for dominance and survival. 3. A small faction of characters, probably a team-up of superheroes from various settings (a team that includes a standard villain or two who has a motivated self-interest to help), will set out to determine the truth of their reality. Or in other words, how their amalgamated world came to be, and why. 4. Complications ensue, the stakes are raised, plot twists get extra twisty, and shocking revelations come to light. 5. The true villain/mastermind is exposed at last, and he's stacked the deck in his favor, making it seem overwhelmingly impossible for the heroes to win. 6. Conflict reaches a fever pitch as the survivors from the various realities band together in a last-ditch effort to take down the bad guy. 7. The big bad is defeated but at the cost of some fairly major losses for the heroes. The universe/multiverse is rebuilt into something exciting and new (or at the very least something that's been tweaked a bit). The End.

DC Comics' Convergence begins on April 8, 2015 and continues through to the end of May. Its main series, written primarily by Jeff King with art from multiple artists, will release on a weekly schedule. Tie-in series will be monthly and are comprised of just two issues each.

Marvel's Secret Wars, written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Esad Ribic and covers by Alex Ross, kicks off on May 6, 2015. It runs through August, with almost all of Marvel's ongoing titles featuring tie-in story arcs and launching many new ongoing titles.

It's unknown why Convergence and Secret Wars seem to be telling the same story. The hardcore faithful of each are of course looking for conspiracy theories to explain how their favorite publisher came up with this idea first, and the competition is just a copycat. Objectively, there's simply no way to know who was first, or if one of them is guilty of copying the other.